Weedeb



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

ZEPHANIAH BREED, OF WEARE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO J. EDWARD JONES, OF SAME PLACE, AND WILLIAM H. M. GATE, OF HENNIKER, N. H.

WEEDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 354,625, dated December 21, 1886.

Application tuen May 2o, 1885. lserial No. 166,205. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ZEPHAN'IAH BREED, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Weare, in the county of Hillsborough and State of New Hampshire, have invented an Improvement in Oultivators or Weeders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of aseries of long and exibleteeth or lingers inserted in two lines into a he 1d above and passing downward througha check-bar, which may be made adj ustable vertically.

The accompanying drawing represents a perspective view of my weeder, the long teeth G being inserted into the head A and passing downward through the check bar D, -said teeth being iiexible both above and below said check-bar, so as to pass around small stones, corn-roots, and other obstructions without clogging or breaking.

Attached to the head A are the thil'ls B, for

, attaching a horse to the machine, said thills being extended backward to form handles, to enable the workman to manage the machine.

The fingers G have some play in the holes through the check-bar D, so that the lingers are very flexible, and work somewhat resem bling' the human lingers in strringtheground, especially when the machine is gently shaken by the workman.y This flexibility and play of the teeth or iingers render them less liable to be broken in passing obstructions.

. The whole machine may be made of wood,in cluding the ngers, which may ha've metal thimbles on the points, or the whole machine may be made of metal, if desired, the thills being made tubular, for the purpose of lightness and strength. By the arrangement ot' the teeth .the surface of the ground is twice moved by -one passage of the4 machine, without any lap, 4o

and by the workman giving a slight motion of the machine to right and left the dirt is eiiectually loosened from the roots of the weeds.

My weeder is also a practical leveler for grain-elds and effective in raking in grassseed. By lowering the check-bar on the ngers the lower ends of the same have less flexibility and are held more rigidly, and thus betterQ adapted for working hard ground. .Y

Having thus described my invention, I 5o claim- The described weeder having long straight fingers G, with theirr upper end inserted into head A, and provided with an adjustable check bar, D, for increasing or diminishing the flexibility of said fingers below said check-bar, substantially as set forth.

ZEPHANIAH BREED.

Witnesses:` y

LUCY H. J oNEs, MARY B. BREED. 

